The Baroque era, branded so by the nineteenth century critics from the Portuguese word baracco meaning the ‘oddly shaped pearl’, followed the Renaissance period. The highly ornate, unforgiving masterpieces of Bach and Handel probably contributed for this peculiar name. It needs to be remembered that in those hard times it was the demands of the employer that dictated the art brought forth by an artist. With that curtain of charity in place all critics concur had it not been for the diligent work of these tireless artists the music of today would have been dramatically different.

The Baroque era pushed the appreciation of art like no other for it literally brought the layman in touch with the artistic world through opulent architecture, art, literature, science, and music. Though Italy took the center stage, Germany, England and France were not behind.
Composers fine-tuned their compositions to not only enhance the listening pleasure of the audience but also to communicate effectively with them by evoking the desired emotions. Melody and harmony established themselves as powerful entities and in their wake came the practice of basso continuo. The cantata, concerto, sonata, oratorio, opera, intermezzo, suite, etc., all debuted during this era. While there were many great composers in this era the greatest were Monteverdi, Praetorius, Frescobaldi, Schütz, Scheidt, Lully, Charpentier, Pachelbel, Corelli, Purcell, Alessandro and Domenico Scarlatti, Couperin, Vivaldi, Telemann, Rameau, Bach, Handel, and Sammartini.

Part of the Unlocking the Masters series of books, the book reviews the theatrical experiences of his three operas: L’Orfeo – Orpheus, 1607, Il ritorno d’Ulisse in Patria – the return of Ulysses to his homeland, 1640, and L’incoronazione di Poppea – the coronation of Poppea, 1643.